GTA: San Andreas developer Rockstar has finally issued a statement on the now- …

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Over the weekend, we reported on the increasing amount of uproar (the parents finally found out about it) around the so-called "Hot Coffee" mod for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. To recap, Hot Coffee either adds or unlocks (depending on whom you ask) a feature in the game that allows the lead character to get his swerve on.

The modder responsible for Hot Coffee says that he simply unlocked preexisting code, which could have implications for the game's ESRB rating. Up until now, the developers have been strangely quiet. But today, Rockstar released an official statement in which they blame a "determined group of hackers" for the now-infamous "Hot Coffee" mod.

"In violation of the software user agreement, hackers created the 'hot coffee' modification by disassembling and then combining, recompiling and altering the game's source code. Since the 'hot coffee' scenes cannot be created without intentional and significant technical modifications and reverse engineering of the game's source code, we are currently investigating ways that we can increase the security protection of the source code and prevent the game from being altered by the 'hot coffee' modification."

Disassembling, combining, recompiling, and altering the game's source code? That one doesn't pass the smell test up here at the Orbiting HQ. What is the motivation for the modders to lie about how the patch works? It sounds more like Rockstar is working on a new titleCYA: Hot Coffee.

If it turns out that the mod was always there in the code, the ESRB could change the rating to Adult-Only and force the developers to recall and repackage the title. With the attention this poorly-rendered electronic sex romp is getting, not only from the press, but from Concerned ParentsTM everywhere, the pressure could force the ESRB into a face-saving ratings change regardless of who is ultimately responsible for the Hot Coffee code.

When it comes down to it, the big question is "who's telling the truth?" Patrick Wildenborg's (one of the modders) explanation that all the sex scene material is there for the unlocking is a lot more plausible, especially given the two-day window between the launch of the PC version and the first appearance of the mod. Unless someone has invented a way to magically extract the source code from the game's binaries, Rockstar's explanation looks to be intended to displace responsibility for the crack over anything else.

It's stuff like this that may very well leave my kids stuck playing "Finding Nemo" until they're 18at least until some Dutch guy releases a "Yellow Water" mod.